My First Project - Lukes Bed

I made this bed for my son Luke's for 4th birthday. This project was a first for me and I loved doing it. I modified the stairs as I wasn't crazy about how shallow the steps were and how high the rise was. I have 4 stairs instead of 3 and they stick out about 4 inches from the front of the bed. The bottom step is a small toy box and the top 3 are all drawers. I also added a slide. The slide design was the biggest challenge as I couldn't find a set of plans that I liked. I ended up tracing the shape from an outdoor playset that we have. I then created a template and used a router to cut 1/4" grooves into the left and right hand sides. With help, We slid a 1/8" of wood into the grooves. The wood was from home depot, slick on one side. I think it was a Hardboard tempered panel, but I don't remember for sure. The entire project probably took 60-70 hours. The bed itself was about 30-35. The other time was the stairs with drawers and the slide. A good chunk of the remaining time was spent in planning and figuring out the slide and adjusting the drawers. This being my first project, I spent a lot of time just figuring things out. I had never used a router before. I had never drilled pocket holes before. This project opened my eyes to a whole new world.